The increased accessibility of music in digital formats has led to the development of computer software to interpret digitally formatted music. The software enables the music to be broadcast using speakers and other audio components that can be coupled to a computer system. One example of such computer software is the MP3 players which allow music files in MP3 format to be interpreted and played by a user. Some MP3 player software provides the additional feature of an on-screen visual interface whereby the motion of graphics displayed to the user is synchronized with aspects of the music, such as frequency or tempo.
While such software has the benefit of providing a visual means for the appreciation of music, it does not allow for any type of visual display via a device peripheral to the computer system. It is an object of the present invention to provide methods and apparatus for controlling a lighting display in response to an audio input.